James Hardin Peterson was born in Batesburg, South Carolina in 1894. His family moved to Florida when he was six months old and moved again to Lakeland in 1903. He graduated from Lakeland High School with honors in 1911 and later that year enrolled at the University of Florida to study law. He completed his studies in three years and was quickly admitted to the Bar in 1914. He then established a very successful law practice in Lakeland. During the First World War he enlisted with the Navy and served as a yeoman first class and chief yeomen for ten months. After the war he returned to his law practice where he specialized in municipal law. He served as Lakeland's city attorney for sixteen years and additionally served as prosecutor and solicitor of the criminal court in Polk County for over ten years. In 1917 he married Christine Farrar of Jacksonville. The couple had two children, Anna and J. Hardin, Jr.

In 1932 he was elected to the 73rd Congress and served for nine terms in the U.S. House of Representatives until 1951. He served on various committees, including: Committee on Public Lands, Committee on Merchant Marine and Fisheries, House Un-American Activities Committee, Committee on World War Veteran's Legislation, Committee on Mines and Mining, and the Select Committee on Conservation of Wildlife Resources. He also served on numerous subcommittees for each of these committees. For example, while serving on the Committee on Merchant Marine and Fisheries he served on several subcommittees including: Subcommittee for Ship construction and Operation, Subcommittee to Investigate Pacific Coast Fisheries, Subcommittee on Maritime Labor, Subcommittee on Merchant Marine in Overseas Aviation, Subcommittee on the Coast Guard, Coast and Geodetic Surveys, and Public Health Service.

Throughout his tenure in office Peterson had a reputation for hard work and dedication to constituent service. After retiring from Congress in 1951 Peterson returned to Lakeland and resumed his law practice with his son J. Hardin, Jr. He remained active in law and various community organizations until his death at the age of eighty-four in 1978.

The collection dates from 1929 to 1951, roughly spanning Peterson's nine terms in the House of Representatives. The collection is comprised primarily of correspondence, the majority of which consists of Peterson's communication with constituents and concerned citizens. The collection covers a variety of topics, including the Great Depression, the New Deal agencies, World War II, neutrality and national defense, taxes, the citrus industry, the Everglades, the Cross Florida Barge Canal, loans, and immigration to the U.S.

The collection is divided into two distinct series. The first series contains Bills and Legislation, and the second includes Correspondence and Subject Files. Both sections are arranged alphabetically.

The collection was recently re-processed and arranged into the two sections described in this finding aid. A copy of the old filing system with annotations revealing where files are currently located can be found in box 1 in a folder entitled Index.

The Bills and Legislation series contains correspondence between Peterson and his constituents concerning legislative matters. Some of the files contain information on Peterson's own initiatives such as the construction of the De Soto Memorial, bills mandating reciprocal trade with Cuba, and attempts to pass a bill giving aid to former Panama Canal workers. Many files, however, deal simply with the concerns of his constituents on legislative topics such as cigar and citrus taxes, appointments, and support of the Marshall Plan in 1948. The files in this series, however, do not contain very much information regarding the content of the bills nor the ultimate passage or disposition of the bills. Although most of the files in this series are arranged alphabetically, there are numerous general or miscellaneous files, as well as a group of files arranged chronologically from 1949 to 1950.

This series is comprised of alphabetically arranged correspondence and subject files. Many of the topics are covered by only one or two folders, but there are several subjects for which there are numerous folders. Naturally, topics specific to Florida are well represented in the collection. One major topic is the citrus industry, including loans to citrus growers, the valuation of land for loans, and some transcripts of government hearings on citrus matters. As a representative of Florida and a citrus grower himself, Peterson was well aware of the issues and problems of the citrus industry. Another major subject is the Cross Florida Canal during the 1930s and early 1940s. In addition to chronological correspondence regarding the canal, there are government reports, miscellaneous publications, and news clippings. Notable topics include the proposed route of the canal, the effect of the canal on the Florida water supply, and details on the proposed construction methods.

The collection spans World War II, and as such there are numerous files that pertain directly or indirectly to the war. Several files pertain to national defense and neutrality immediately preceding WWII. Numerous constituents wrote to Peterson about why the U.S. should stay neutral or should aid the Allies, and about how our government could best provide for national defense. Peterson himself favored staying out of the war, but also favored aiding England. The files labeled "Priority" primarily consist of wartime documents that required Peterson's immediate attention. There also are numerous files on the Higgins investigation, including correspondence and government hearings. Peterson served as chairman of a World War II subcommittee to investigate Higgins, Inc., a company that received a contract to produce Liberty ships for the Navy but had the contract terminated because it was accused of misspending government funds.

The New Deal agencies created to combat the Great Depression are well covered in this collection. There are several files on the Civil Works Administration (CWA), which was set up in 1933 as a New Deal organization designed to create jobs. The folders listed under this topic deal with C.W.A. projects in Florida, especially school construction and improvement. There are also several folders on the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), a similar organization set up around the same time, and the Federal Emergency Relief Administration (FERA), which was created in 1933 to provide jobs and relief to those suffering from the Depression.

There are numerous files pertaining to the Public Works Administration (PWA) and the Works Progress Administration (WPA), including constituent correspondence expressing desires for new projects or inquiring about the progress of current projects. The files are arranged alphabetically according to Florida city or region.

There is a group of "politics" files, which consists of correspondence with colleagues and supporters about campaign issues, and also includes campaign expense information. Other major subjects include the Reconstruction Finance Corporation (including the Home Owner's Loan Corporation and the Federal Housing Authority), creation of the Everglades National Park in 1934, immigration and naturalization, loans (constituents attempting to secure loans through various federal agencies), the phosphate industry, rivers and harbors, and the Townsend Plan.